Diamond Dirt: Welcome home, Jim Thome

Saturday

Aug 27, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 27, 2011 at 4:18 AM

The future hall of famer is heading back to the Cleveland Indians after the Minnesota Twins put him on waivers and traded him for a player to be named later. Both general managers said it’s a special trade and that it’s only fitting that Thome return to the city where his career began. And this of course comes after Thome could’ve vetoed the trade, but he didn’t.

Dominic Genetti

In some instances, baseball players spend a few years here, a few years there and then call it a career.

Very rarely to do you see players come back to where there careers began or where they had significant years in their career. For whatever reason, some players sign a one day deal so they can symbolically retire as a member of that particular team.

Nomar Garciaparra did just that with the Red Sox. But if you ask me, it’s more symbolic if they throw on the uniform one last time and take the field for a game instead of just signing a contract and holding a press conference.

The good thing, is that Jim Thome won’t have to go that route.

The future hall of famer is heading back to the Cleveland Indians after the Minnesota Twins put him on waivers and traded him for a player to be named later. Both general managers said it’s a special trade and that it’s only fitting that Thome return to the city where his career began. And this of course comes after Thome could’ve vetoed the trade, but he didn’t.

Clearly, they know something we don’t. This very well could be Thome’s last year as a player and a trade back to Cleveland is proof of that. Him not vetoing the trade is also a big hint.

But that’s just me talking.

Thome’s return to Cleveland is not just symbolic, it’s fuel on the fire.

Cleveland is in their first pennant race in years and adding a big bat like Thome’s is only going to make the Indians’ push to the postseason even stronger. He has yet to win a World Series ring and this could very much be the year for Thome and the Cleveland fans. He has two American League Championship rings from 1995 and 1997, but I’m sure a World Series ring would be a lot better.

I think Thome will give Cleveland the biggest surge they’ve seen all season and that they’ll be able to battle the first place Tigers for a postseason spot. Who knows, maybe it’ll be another dramatic one game playoff that determines the AL Central Division championship?

I could just see the Cleveland fans watching in suspense with Thome at the plate and the AL Championship returning to Ohio. Something like that would certainly motivate a team to make it all the way to the World Series. And there’s nothing like a trip to the fall classic.

Win or lose, that would be a fitting close to Thome’s career. That is if it’s truly over.